As soon as night drew on and everyone in the castle had gone to rest,
the false Ivan went out into the open court, called to him the true
Tsarevich, and said: "Ivan Tsarevich, be not angry with me for taking
your place; forget it all, do me one service, and drive the enemy from
this kingdom." And Ivan answered: "Go and lie down to sleep--all shall
be accomplished." Then the squire went and lay down to sleep, and Ivan
cried with a loud voice: "Where is my Bulat, the Brave Companion?" In
an instant Bulat stood before him, and asked: "What service do you
require now? What is your need? Tell me forthwith." Then Ivan
Tsarevich told him his need, and Bulat desired him to saddle his horse
and put on his armour; and then cried with a loud voice:
"Sivka Burka! he!
Fox of Spring! Appear!
Like a grass blade, here
Stand before me!"
The horse bounded till the ground shook; from his ears rose a column
of steam, and from his nostrils issued flames; but when he came up to
Bulat he stood still. Then Bulat the Brave Companion mounted the
horse, and Ivan Tsarevich seated himself upon his steed, and so they
rode forth from the courtyard. Meanwhile the Princess Tseria, who was
not yet asleep, was sitting at the window, and overheard all that Ivan
Tsarevich had spoken with the squire and Bulat the Brave Companion.
As soon as they reached the hostile army, Bulat said to Ivan: "Fall
thou upon the enemy on the right, I will attack them on the left." And
so they began to mow down this mighty army with the sword, and to
trample them down with their horses' hoofs; and in an hour's time they
had stretched on the earth a hundred thousand men. Then the hostile
King fled with the small remains of his army back into his own
kingdom, and Ivan Tsarevich returned with Bulat the Brave Companion to
the castle of the Tsar Panthui, unsaddled his steed, led him into the
stable, and gave him white wheat to eat. After that he took leave of
Bulat the Brave Companion, went back into the kitchen, and lay down to
sleep.
Early the next morning the Tsar went out on to his balcony, and looked
forth over the country where the hostile army lay; and when he saw
that it was all cut down and destroyed, he called to him the false
Ivan, and thanked him for having saved his kingdom; he rewarded him
with a rich present and promised soon to give him his daughter to
wife.
After a fortnight the same Tsar marched again with a fresh army and
besieged the city. And the Tsar Panthui in terror called again upon
the false Ivan and said: "My dear friend, Ivan Tsarevich, save me once
more from the enemy, and drive them from my kingdom, and I will
immediately give you my daughter to wife." And so it all fell out
again exactly as before, and the enemy were quite driven away by Ivan
and Bulat the Brave.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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